Japanese officials meeting in strategy session. Japanese infantry on mission to cut Chinese supply lines during 2nd Sino-Japanese war. Black smoke rises as they move along a river bank. Chinese prisoner-workers are forced to rebuild railroads destroyed by the Chinese people during their great Westward trek. Japanese soldier closely guards workers. A Japanese army armored train underway on the rebuilt railroad, as Japanese soldiers cheer. Animated map shows China's supply lines by sea, to Tsingtao, Hangchow, and Amoy, cut off by Japanese naval blockade. Japanese Navy launch with officers and crew moving near commercial ships as they take over Chinese river ports. War materiel and other supplies destined for China, including trucks, sit idle, unable to be transported to their destinations. Large oil tanks and drums of gasoline are shown, as well as gun barrels and a flightline filled with parked Curtiss P-36 Hawk aircraft. The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Asakaze (DD-3) and another, next to it, in a Chinese river port. A Japanese freighter with anchored weighed, secured by long lines to a wharf. Small boats flying Japanese Naval ensigns are next to it. View of map showing china, Burma, Indo-China, and Chungking, with Japanese blockading fleet stationed in the South China Sea. It traces path of narrow gauge rail line from Indo-china to Kumming,China, where it connected to an overland road to Chungking. Next it traced the old Camel Caravan route, across China, from Russia. Narrator notes these were to small to be useful and too close to Japanese-occupied territory. Next, the map traces a railroad that from the port of Rangoon to Lashio, Burma. It is separated from the road to Chungking, by mountains and gorges. Views of the actual mountainous terrain. Animal pack trains moving through the area. Construction engineers in a large drafting room designing a road to transit the area. View of modern road-building caterpillar tractor equipment of the type needed to accomplish this. View of Chinese laborers using manpower instead. They push large rollers and employ pickaxes and other hand-held tools to carve away and dig road beds. Masses of Chinese laborers at work, carving a road along the edge of a mountain. Two-men teams using manual tampers to pound down the roadbed. Children are employed along with adults. A woman with a baby on her back, pounding large rocks into gravel, surrounded by other children doing the same. View from above of the "Burma Road," the product of their labors, winding its way through the mountains and gorges. Many scenes of trucks moving along portions of the Burma Road. P-40 airplanes flying past white cumulus clouds, overhead. Animated map shows continued expansion of Japanese occupied areas to encompass two thirds of the rail lines in China with goal of controlling the remainder, starting at Chengchow, in Summer, 1938. View of Chengchow region, on banks of the Yellow River. Map illustrates flow pattern of the Yellow River. View from past of the Yellow River's Spring floods toward the Sea, with Chinese people throwing rocks onto dikes that keep the river flowing in a more Northerly direction than its former course. Illustration shows how with Japanese encrouching on Chengchow, the Chinese decided to destroy those dikes and allow the river to flood over its former more Southerly course. Japanese soldiers being inundated by the flooding river. Japanese infantry and tanks regrouping on their occupied side of the new (old) path of the Yellow River. Local Chinese residents of Chengchow, wade with belongings as they leave their flooded homes.

U.S. Navy carrier planes hit oil fields in the China Sea. A storm in the China Sea. U.S. Navy 3rd fleet carriers on a ship. A diagram shows an arrow on the South China Sea. The fleet moves forward towards Japanese bases. U.S. airplanes bomb Japanese targets. Carrier planes return back to the ship. A plane crash lands on the ship. The pilot of ship is hurt and stuck in the cockpit. The crew runs toward the plane and gets him down. A diagram shows an arrow from the South China sea to Indo China, Saigon. A tanker is torpedoed by U.S. planes. Bombing on Saigon. An oil reserve on fire.

A collision between Royal Australian Navy HMAS Melbourne (R-21) and destroyer USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) while taking part in SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) exercise in the South China Sea. A launch coming up alongside a ship tows a covered raft. Survivors in the launch. The covered raft is tied to the launch with launch up to the gangway of HMAS Melbourne (R-21). The launch and a life raft alongside. Australian personnel fold a raft after deflating it. Another raft being raised and hoisted out of water. The raft is placed on a deck. Australian crew stands around. Several of the Australian crew on the flight deck look down over the side. Debris from USS Frank E. Evans on the deck. Australian personnel work with covered gear on the flight deck. They carry wreckage across the flight deck. The personnel use push brooms and sweep the deck.

A collision between Royal Australian Navy HMAS Melbourne (R-21) and destroyer USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) while taking part in SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) exercise in the South China Sea. SEATO ships grouped out on calm waters. The flight deck of HMAS Melbourne in the foreground. Floating half of USS Frank E. Evans after collision. Small boats around section of USS Frank E. Evans. Portside of USS Everett F Larson (DD-830). Another ship in the background. USS James E. Kyes (DD-787) behind Larson. Australian personnel over the deck of HMAS Melbourne (R-21) look towards Evans. A helicopter on the flight deck. Personnel stand next to the helicopter and prepare to board it. Floating half of USS Frank E. Evans. U.S. Navy SH-3D Seaking helicopter in flight over water. A small craft and a destroyer in water.

A collision between Royal Australian Navy HMAS Melbourne (R-21) and destroyer USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) while taking part in SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) exercise in the South China Sea. A motor whale boat underway and pulls up to the gangway of a ship. Survivors of USS Frank E. Evans DD-754 move up the gangway. The motor boat leaves. HMAS Melbourne (R-21) rests on water. A boat goes towards HMAS Melbourne (R-21). HMAS Melbourne (R-21) in the background. Crewmen on the deck edge elevator and sponsor deck look down over a life line.

A collision between Royal Australian Navy HMAS Melbourne (R-21) and destroyer USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) while taking part in SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) exercise in the South China Sea. HMAS Melbourne (R-21) rests on water. Secured gangway of a carrier. The ship's crane hangs over a utility boat on the deck edge elevator. Crewmen in the elevator. Boat crew in a boat receives a crane hook. The utility boat being lowered into water. It pulls away. The utility boat with survivors approaches rapidly. The utility boat skids on the deck of the ship. Crewmen seen nearby. The boat crew in the boat. Crewmen seen in the foreground on the deck edge elevator. Hospital Corpsmen walk from the elevator to the hangar bay in the background. Tables set up in the hangar bay. Survivors sitting in chairs nearby.